6 Ways Technology is Helping Small Business Become More Productive

If you own a small business, you might believe that modern technology is only appropriate for larger businesses with deep pockets. Nevertheless, technology is making a large impact even for small companies around the world. 

Technology is not just assisting small companies to become more efficient, it's also boosting their productivity and helping them develope their product line. 

Here are 6 ways technology is helping small business compete better in the new century.

Productivity

Small companies typically need to optimize productivity in their businesses. Today, team members are using technology to do their work quicker and more efficiently. 

Many businesses now utilize business resource preparation (ERP) systems instead of accounting software applications. An ERP system is much more than an accounting system because it handles much more than accounting-related jobs. The growing importance of ERPs for small businesses has been increasing steadily because of its effectivness in larger businesses and its cost of use has steadily declined over the years making them more cost effective even for the smallest startup.  

An ERP system, nevertheless, can deal with accounting jobs and other parts of your business. When workers have access to the best hardware and the latest software applications, they have the tools to be very effective. 

Communication

Technology is assisting small companies in improving communication within the company and with its consumers and providers. For example, mobile phones have become a business tool for company owners and workers alike. 

Mobile phones using Instagram are the perfect way to get your products and services to your workers and customers. These capabilities make a chatbot for instagram the perfect virtual assistant for any Instagram business account. Unsurprisingly, they have become part and parcel of modern customer service and digital marketing.

Mobile phones are must-haves for staying in touch with clients on the go and reacting to queries in a timely fashion. They have actually raised the bar because they supply web access to business and e-mail applications. 

Text messaging, social networking, and e-mail are other technological advancements that have actually improved communication and assisted small businesses in remaining connected to their consumers and internal communication within their business.

Marketing

Technology has freed small companies from the restrictions of print marketing, specifically when it pertains to reaching existing and brand-new consumers. Internet marketing campaigns from basic educational sites, to marketing on online search engines, to internet sales has streamline and organized sales. 

Email marketing is a low cost and reliable technique that assists small companies to reach lots of people with business updates, discount coupons or newsletters. Mobile marketing is a brand-new frontier that is assisting small business to reach possible and existing consumers through text, mobile apps, and deal branded applications that link consumers to the most recent business news in a most efficient way. Contributing to better tracking of sales campaigns.

Telecommuting

Nowadays, numerous small companies offer telecommuting and dynamic time schedules to their employees. Staff members, clients, providers, and other business stakeholders can remain in touch from numerous places while working various hours by using online resources and mobile computing devices. 

Employees can now share digital files through e-mail, have online realtime discussions, and use training videos and handbooks to orient brand-new workers on what is going on in your business.

Customer Service

Technology helps build better communcation between customer and company. Companies can utilize e-mail to react to consumer questions, utilize online chat to help clients that check out the business website, and give customer service agents better tools to solve customers problems. Technology offers a business's clients many options to stay in touch with your business.

Teleconferencing

Teleconferencing through the phone is a tried-and-true technique, but current technological advancements have brought online conferencing to the forefront. 

Online conferencing can connect web video cameras and audio, in addition to incorporated web conference enhancements, to create an extremely interactive environment. All participants can see each other as they communicate, share files, deal with tasks collaboratively, and recreate the in-person conference experience despite their physical location. 

These are just a few of the methods by which small companies can broaden their reach and engage worldwide customers and partners.

4 Ways Technology Has Impacted The Food Consumer Marketplace

Technology has impacted practically every area of our lives, and the food consumer marketplace is no exception. Because we all have to eat, the role technology plays in food production, distribution and ordering is something that affects everyone. 

The ways people shop for and buy food, as well as how they interact with food producers, have seen massive changes in just the last decade or so thanks to the advent of new technologies. 

Here are some of the ways technology has had a serious impact on the food consumer marketplace.

1. The Genetic Engineering Of Organisms

Whether you like it or not, genetically modified organisms, commonly known as GMOs, are prevalent in food. Technology has played a huge role in crop production and the development of genetically modified organisms. 

As a result, technology continues to modify our food in order to make it bigger, more uniform and more pest-resistant than ever before. Wherever you stand on the ethical argument of GMO’s, it can be agreed that without technology this development would not have been possible.

2. Ordering Via Apps

This has become a major trend for fast food restaurants, pizza places and other casual dining chains. Other variants have included ordering online for pickup or delivery as well as using mobile pay options. 

But apps are where most of the new action is, as it combines it all (ordering, payment, pickup, delivery) into one. Food delivery is also being expanded upon by a number of chains thanks to the ease of remotely placing an order. 

This is leaving a lasting impression on the food consumer marketplace as many businesses begin implementing these services.

3. Finding Restaurants Online

Consumers largely search for and become aware of restaurants online now. They use their location finders on digital map programs to find restaurants near them, read customer reviews and peruse the menu to see if anything sounds good before even going to the restaurant. 

This is a vast departure from before in how food consumers choose where to eat. So if you own a restaurant and don't have a website with basic information about your establishment such as hours, contact information and a menu, you should set that up right away.

4. Wider Food Distribution Networks

Technology has made it easier for food to be distributed over wide areas, and even internationally. New tech from companies like Maximum Computer Systems Inc., especially quality wholesale distributors software, has also made it much easier to track shipments and keep a closer tab on logistics in general, making the entire process much faster and more efficient. 

There are companies developing even better methods of freezing produce in order to keep it fresher for longer and thus allowing people to purchase fresher foods from greater distances away. 

This can include foods consumers could get normally but are not in season and therefore have to come from another region or country, or even foods that are not native to a particular area, such as bananas and mangoes in the United States.

The impact of technology on the food consumer marketplace shouldn't come as a surprise to many. Most people know some of their produce is imported from other countries and have tried using apps to order their food. 

But it is truly a good idea to stay conscious about what we eat and where it comes from - technology has made that a lot easier as well and large food companies are now being forced to listen to their consumers if they want to remain in business. Who knows what directions technological innovations will take the food consumer marketplace next.

Making it Work: How a Small Business Can Become Bigger

Most small business owners dream of expanding their business and turning their small business into a big one. However, dreams alone won’t transform your company. Business owners need to take action to continue to grow their business and to be ready when an opportunity presents itself to expand. Here are some tips to try when creating more growth in your business. 

Organic Growth

Most businesses will grow naturally over time due to marketing and advertising efforts reaching new customers and existing customers, and by spreading the word about the business. This organic growth is important, as some existing customers will leave over time for a variety of reasons. This means that a business that is not expanding its customer base continually, will not only fail to expand, but it will actually contract. Business owners need to carefully balance their time between maintaining existing customers, and reaching new ones in order to allow a business to grow over time. 

Financial Stability

For a business to grow, it must be financially stable. Though this can be a difficult task in the first few years that a business is in operation, even the youngest business can begin to build financial strength. A small cash reserve is a great place for a small business to start. This reserve can start small, and grow over time to meet any emergency expenses that a business may face. In addition, a business should foster relationships with financial institutions and other lenders. By having both cash and credit available, a business can confidently grow through the expansion of operations and the acquisition of competitors. 

Modern Technology

In many ways, modern technology has revolutionized small business. While a business can still benefit from the services of professionals, many tasks that business owners had to hire out in the past can be performed in-house. For example, business owners may choose to design and operate their own website to conduct business online. Products such as Domo BI dashbaords can help a business owner and other key employees to have fast access to important business measurements. This will aid in efficiently running the business. By using current technology, a business can work more efficiently and with a higher level of profitability. Find out more about new technologies and try to use each one to the company's advantage. Find out who common customers are and what type of advertising they will respond to. Where the ads are online will matter in how well the are received. Creating more customers through advertising is an age old method and will guarantee business growth.

While there is more to growing a business than fostering organic growth, building financial stability and using the best technology, these are three important areas for a business owner to focus. By working to grow a business, and being prepared for expansion, a business owner can position his or her small business for big things in the future. This ways you can be sure your company will grow in the right ways and become bigger than ever.

The Benefits of Renewable Energy: Your Wallet and Your Community

In this day and age, is is crucial to find ways of protecting the environment and its resources to ensure that future generations can thrive on Earth. Fortunately, using renewable energy does not only help the environment but can ultimately save you money as well. In fact, here is a more detailed look at 4 benefits of renewable energy:

1. Unlimited supply

Strong winds, plant residues, fast-moving water, sunshine, and heat from the planet are all examples of energy sources that are limitless or can be replenished. Such sources can easily supply future populations with the energy they need without worry (with the exception of plant residues and fast-moving water if such resources are not taken care of properly).

2. Availability

One of the best things about using renewable energy is that doing so allows for more local control of energy to best benefit the country and individual communities. Using renewable energy helps everyone to become involved and shape energy use for the future.

It is also believed that energy pricing can be stabilized with the use of renewable energy. Many natural resources, such as uranium and oil, experiences pricing fluctuations based on a number of factors. However, renewable energy will not be affected by the increased costs of international resources and its cost will be mostly related to repaying invested capital. In fact, you can see how much money such a service costs by checking out renewable energy providers through services such as Alberta Energy.

Another important thing to note is that the cost of installing energy efficient systems are decreasing. In fact, the cost of a solar panel has decreased by nearly 60% since 2011 while the cost of generating power from wind has dropped by about 20%. In windy areas such as Texas, wind power can directly compete with the use of fossil fuels.

3. Environmentally friendly

Renewable energy is excellent for the environment due to the fact that the systems produce little to no greenhouse gas emissions while in use. Furthermore, only small amounts of emission is produced during the manufacturing of fuels and equipment. Renewable energy sources also produce fewer water and air pollutants, land disruption, and waste.

4. Job creation

Localizing the use of renewable energy produces jobs all over the country (and world). In fact, according to a fact sheet provided by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), in 2012 alone, over 110,000 green jobs were created.

Fortunately, there are plenty of jobs available dedicated to helping the world become more green. In fact, sectors with energy efficiency include:

• Public Mass Transit 
• Energy-saving Building Materials 
• HVAC and Building Control Systems 
• Green Architecture and Construction Services 
• Professional Energy Services 
• Appliances 
• Energy-saving Consumer Products 
• Battery Technologies 
• Smart Grid 
• Electric Vehicle Technologies 
• Lighting 
• Water Efficient Products 

As you can see, there are many benefits for using renewable energy. With vigilance, you can do your part to help the world and also put more money back into your wallet.

Dale Hooper has worked as an electrical engineer in Both the US and Canada, where his wife is from. He also enjoys sharing his knowledge on the topic online.

How To Save Money On Technology For Your Home

Technology purchases can be expensive, but they don't have to break your budget. With some common-sense techniques, you can get the technology you want without overspending. Let's look at a few ways to save money on technology purchases for your home.

Do Your Research

The most effective way to save money on any technology purchase is to shop around before you buy. Prices can differ greatly among electronics stores, and brick-and-mortar stores don't always have the best deals. Be sure to check online retailers as well; they often have competitive prices and free shipping. When shopping for cell-phone plans and cable packages, it's equally important to check out multiple providers and compare prices.

Be Patient

If you can manage to postpone your purchase for a while, you can often save money by waiting for the item to go on sale. The best deals on electronics can be found on Black Friday for in-store purchases, and Cyber Monday for online shopping. While you'll get the biggest savings on big-ticket items like TVs and computers, even smaller purchases like cordless phones can be had at a discount during sale periods.

Only Buy the Features You Want

It's easy to get sucked into expensive cell phone and cable packages that have more features than you really need. For example, you might feel that getting all the sports channels from Bell is a must, but the premium movie channels are less important to you. If you don't text often, the unlimited texting plan isn't going to be worth the cost. Be sure to carefully review the features of any product or plan before making a commitment.

Buy Used Models

With more and more people upgrading their electronics items after only owning them a short time, it's become easier than ever to score a deal on a used item in excellent condition. Refurbished items are also a great way to save money and still get a high-quality item. Even though it can be hard to avoid the temptation of upgrading to the latest model, the cost savings of buying used or refurbished electronics makes the minor sacrifice worthwhile.

As you can see, it's unwise to rush into a technology purchase for your home; a little time, research, and flexibility go a long way. Armed with these tips and some self-discipline, it should be easy to get the most bang for your buck the next time you shop for electronics or technology!

When Not to Buy a Hybrid Vehicle

Hybrid vehicles were considered a great idea when they first came onto the market. They were supposed to be both environmentally friendly and a good way to save money. However, recent studies have shown that hybrids may not be all they are cracked up to be. 

According to a recent study from Polk, only about 65% of consumers who purchased a hybrid said they wouldn’t make the same decision again. One of the biggest reasons they were disappointed was that their vehicle didn’t pay off financially. This is a particularly important concern for older consumers living on a tight budget.

Many hybrid owners never recoup their investment. Anyone nearing or living in retirement should understand the financial costs associated with buying a hybrid before deciding to purchase one. Sometimes buying a fuel efficient car isn’t always the best idea.

High Upfront Cost

Hybrids can cost up to 20% more than other vehicles. The most affordable hybrid on the market costs about $20,000 while other versions cost about $100,000. Can you really afford to pay an extra $3,000-10,000 plus interest to buy a hybrid vehicle?

This is a huge investment for anyone on a limited budget. If you are over 50 then you are probably trying to save money during their final working years or are already retired. You also need to factor interest when you use an auto loan calculator. 

May Not Make Up the Cost

Despite the higher initial cost, many people think that buying a hybrid is still a good long-term investment. They believe that their car will pay for itself in gas savings down the road. However, that may not always be the case.

You will probably need at least three years to recoup your investment even if you purchased one of the most fuel efficient hybrids. Some hybrid owners never break even. According to one study, consumers who bought the Lexus LS600h would need about 100 years to break even.

Lower Return on Investment for Seniors

Fuel efficient hybrids tend to make sense for people who are on the road a lot. Young people who travel long distances for work and enjoy going out for a night on the town can pay off their investment in a couple of years. However, they don’t make as much sense for older people who are living a quieter life. You may want to pass on the investment if you don’t drive very often, because it is unlikely that you will ever break even.

Fuel Savings Aren’t Guaranteed

One of the biggest reasons people buy hybrid cars is because they want to save money on gas. Unfortunately, many people don’t save on fuel costs. You will need to know why some people don’t save money before committing to the purchase.

Your savings depend on largely on your driving habits. Hybrids are usually more cost-efficient at speeds below 40 miles per hour, because they are powered by the electric motor rather than gas. However, they become considerably less fuel-efficient at higher speeds. They are often even less fuel efficient than a regular vehicle. This means that drivers who spend a lot of time on the highway may not save anything.

Many of the newer clean diesel vehicles also have better mileage than most hybrids on the market. You should always research all of your options before you decide what the benefits are.
About the author: Kalen is a financial writer with an MBA from Clark University. He shares tips on saving money, budgeting and investing. He also writes about the benefits of choosing money from U Pull & Pay.